Stevenson, who was Ring Magazine and Sports Illustrated’s 2013 fighter of the year, won by unanimous decision after a 12-round battle.

Here is QMI’s round by round account of all the action.

ROUND 1: Fonfara comes out strong in first minute, but Stevenson keeps him at arm’s length. Fonfara then lands a shot to Stevenson’s stomach. That woke up the champ, who had an axe to grind the rest of the round. Knocked Fonfara down, and he may end up wishing he had stayed there. 10-9 Stevenson.

ROUND 2: Couple of hits by Fonfara to start the round, but they do nothing to faze Stevenson. When Stevenson lands a punch, the sound ripples through the building. Fonfara didn’t hit the mat, but also didn’t do anything to impress the judges. 10-9 Stevenson.

ROUND 3: Fonfara connects, resulting in a smile from Stevenson. Fonfara is averaging one decent punch per round, which is nowhere near enough against an opponent like Stevenson. 10-9 Stevenson.

ROUND 4: The highlight of the fourth round was when Fonfara landed a punch, and Stevenson gave him a look that screamed “that’s never going to work.” Stevenson is toying with Fonfara like a kitten with a ball of string. 10-9 Stevenson

ROUND 5: Stevenson knocks Fonfara down, and takes the round easily. Fonfara lands a few punches, but none seem to make any dent in the champion. If Fonfara had a decent left hook, this might be closer. 10-9 Stevenson.

ROUND 6: Stevenson almost finishes the fight with a punch to the face that sends Fonfara back against the ropes. Once again Fonfara is landing punches, but they look like they don’t have anything behind them. Meanwhile, Stevenson hasn’t broken a sweat. 10-8 Stevenson

ROUND 7: Every time Fonfara lands a punch, Stevenson laughs it off. Every. Single. Time. Stevenson in cruise control as the fight heads to the eighth. 10-9 Stevenson.

ROUND 8: Fonfara is gaining fans just by staying on his feet. He didn’t win the round, but landed some punches. This may the round where it appeared that Stevenson was actually involved in a physical competition. 10-9 Stevenson

ROUND 10: Stevenson takes the round, but this isn’t the cakewalk it once was. Fonfara has proven himself a worthier opponent than estimated. Very few people had this fight going this deep. 10-9 Stevenson.

ROUND 11: Fonfara spends the first minute on the ropes, getting pummeled by Stevenson. Stevenson is too fast and too strong, but just the fact that Fonfara is on his feet has the crowd cheering. 10-9 Stevenson

ROUND 12: Loud cheers to start the round from a crowd possibly not expecting to get their money’s worth with a 12-round fight. Stevenson was the better fighter, but by less than many thought. 10-9 Stevenson

There were two other main fights on the card: challenger and Laval, Que., native David Lemieux met American Fernando Guerrero in a NABF middleweight championship belt match. With the crowd chanting ‘Lemieux, Lemieux, Lemieux’, the local kid won and won big. Lemieux knocked out Guerrero at 1:56 of the third round. Lemieux’s record is now 32-2-0.

And in a mid-heavyweight bout, Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo ran his record to 24-0-0 when he beat Charlie Bellamy Ohta in a 12-round decision. Judges scored the fight unanimously for Charlo, 118-109, 118-109, and 115-111.

NOTES

Stevenson tweeted earlier in the day that he had gotten a phone call of support from Haitian President Michel Martelly. Stevenson was born in Haiti but is a Canadian citizen.

Earlier in the evening, Montreal’s Bermane Stiverne, the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world was brought into the ring and received a rousing ovation.

Other celebs in attendance included boxers Jean Pascal and Lucien Bute, Habs Hall of Famer Yvon Cournoyer, former Alouettes coach and current Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman, and CFL legend Anthony Calvillo.

Stevenson, 36, was looking for his 11th victory in a row by knockout. He did not get it.